license 1 of 2

variants or licence

license

2 of 2

verb

variants also licence

Synonym Chooser

How is the word license different from other nouns like it?

The words freedom and liberty are common synonyms of license. While all three words mean "the power or condition of acting without compulsion," license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.

freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Where would freedom be a reasonable alternative to license?

Although the words freedom and license have much in common, freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.

freedom of the press

When is it sensible to use liberty instead of license?

The synonyms liberty and license are sometimes interchangeable, but liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.

the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of license
Noun
Here’s what to know: When is DUI, driver’s license checkpoint in Sacramento area? Sarah Linn july 18, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2025 More than a year after Skydance Media and its partners clinched a deal with Shari Redstone and Paramount Global to merge the companies, the FCC has yet to act on an application to approve the transfer of CBS licenses to the new ownership. Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 July 2025
Verb
Meanwhile Uber gives Lucid, which controls only a fraction of the domestic electric vehicle market, a leg up and helps Nuro, which abandoned building its own self-driving vehicles in favor of licensing its tech, pivot its business. Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 18 July 2025 Its tasks range from licensing and regulating over 4 million professionals, businesses and financial services in California to boosting the availability of safe, affordable housing. Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for license
Recent Examples of Synonyms for license
Noun
  • However, students are not allowed to use the devices during class, unless a teacher gives them permission for educational, health or emergency purposes.
    Rachel Wegner, The Tennessean, 24 July 2025
  • Reprinted by permission of Vintage Books, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
    Simon Boas July 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Mark up President Donald Trump discussing a U.S.-Japan trade agreement with a Japanese delegation and top White House aides in the Oval Office, July 22, 2025.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 July 2025
  • As Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepare to meet in Istanbul, Turkey, for a new round of ceasefire talks, Zelenskyy and his allies are facing a groundswell of opposition at home.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Medicare Advantage plan members can face prior authorization for many services, whereas Original Medicare has considerably fewer situations requiring approval.
    Diane Omdahl, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • In January, the US Food and Drug Administration gave marketing authorization to certain nicotine pouches for the first time, allowing sales of 10 flavors of popular brand Zyn to help adult smokers quit or cut back on their tobacco use.
    Jeffrey Kopp, CNN Money, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • This enables the high-magnitude flow of campaign donations toward pollution-friendly actions in Tallahassee.
    Mel Martin, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
  • The Tizen team provides comprehensive technical and marketing support, enabling an agile go-to-market process.
    John Archer, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • But state laws mandating independent commissions or blunting the ability to gerrymander would come into play.
    Leah Askarinam, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2025
  • Those outside of Sedona will have an average monthly bill of about $52, a 34% increase, according to the commission.
    Shawn Raymundo, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
Noun
  • Throughout his directing career, Eastwood has translated his belief in personal responsibility and personal freedom—an ideal of independence—into art.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 July 2025
  • This is suitable for gamers who want the freedom of a wireless connection but with the agility of a USB connection.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • If time permits, disconnect utilities and appliances.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2025
  • On one hand, not having football means most Big East schools won’t come close to paying out the overall $20.5 million cap permitted by the House settlement.
    Brendan Marks, New York Times, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • This is Fortune 500 Power Moves, a weekly column tracking executive shifts—from appointments and promotions to resignations and retirements—within the highest ranks of Fortune 500 companies.
    Fortune Editors, Fortune, 25 July 2025
  • That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque on July 18.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 25 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“License.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/license. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on license

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!